Ever catch yourself abruptly pulled out of a war movie? The squad’s cut off, outnumbered, outflanked, and ready to make their last stand. As the camera pans slowly past all those beautiful and heroic Hollywood faces, you catch a glimpse of some random GI in the background — his unit patch is upside down, finger on the trigger, and he’s leaning on his rifle, with the muzzle in the mud, like an old man’s walking stick.

For months, rumors about the return of the Army’s iconic “pinks and greens” service uniform have percolated through the Private News Network and bubbled up in military news outlets. Then on Dec. 9, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey sported the prototype duds at the annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. And man, does he like ’em.